The proposal to relocate Burton Library into the Market Hall is one of seven projects currently being developed as part of the Burton upon Trent Towns Fund programme, with the project currently going through a HM Treasury Green Book business case prior to the Council taking a decision on the project next year. This is being led by Staffordshire County Council as the project sponsors, who are currently consulting the public on the project.
Alongside this, the Borough Council is leading on the development of the High Street Linkages project, which looks at a possible redevelopment of the land between the High Street and the Washlands Flood Defences, including the current Library site if the relocation goes ahead. Speaking about this project,
Cllr George Allen, Deputy Leader for Regeneration and Planning Policy, said:
“The first of three stages of consultation for the High Street project opened on Monday 26th July and we’ve been monitoring the responses closely. It’s clear already that there are concerns from the public that the Library site, if redeveloped, will be used for housing. When launching this project, we were very clear that all options for the whole site are on the table and we want to hear people’s ideas and aspirations before making any proposals or decisions.
However, I’d like to publically provide some reassurance by taking one option off the table. I can confirm that if the current Library site becomes available for redevelopment, it will not be used for a housing development. The current library site will become a focal point of our continued efforts to turn the town around to face the river and redeveloping the Library site offers an opportunity to create a stronger leisure, retail or tourism destination on the riverside, building upon the transformation which will be achieved by the Washlands Enhancement Project. As this latest statement demonstrates, it is critically important that residents continue share their views and ideas through our ongoing consultation process.”
The consultation for the High Street Linkages project, also known as Project D, is open until Monday 23rd August 2021 after which there will be two further rounds of consultation as plans begin to form. For more information on the project or to take part in the consultation, please visit the Councils website here: https://www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/burton-town-regeneration-programme/regeneration/towns-fund/project-d